Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a movable barrier wall and system that is selectively actuated. This invention is particularly useful as a water barrier system that may be actuated or elevated in anticipation of a flooding event. This wall system may be installed either along a river, and/or as part of a levee or dam, or to circumscribe a town or an individual piece of property.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Movable wall systems are known in the prior art. Some examples of the known prior art are U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,462 that issued to Regan on Oct. 24, 1995 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,326 that issued to Van den Noort on Mar. 10, 1998. Each of the listed prior art patents discloses a movable wall and/or system that include a barrier wall that is floatable within a housing. However, each of the known prior art patents only teaches the passive extension of the barrier wall in response to or after the onset of a flooding condition. If a malfunction occurs the walls will not provide the protection desired. It has been determined that there is still a need for a movable barrier system that may be selectively actuated prior to a flooding event. It has been determined that there is yet a further need for a selectively activated movable barrier system that may be installed in a levee or dam, along a river, or other body of water that may flood. It has also been determined that there is yet a further need for a movable barrier system that may be installed along bends of a river. The present invention solves the above-identified needs as well as others that will become apparent in the discussion below.
The present invention may be briefly described with respect to its objects. It is an object of this invention to provide and it does provide a movable barrier system and apparatus that is selectively raised by at least one pumping device and its associated control system.
It is another object of this invention to provide and it does provide a movable barrier system that may be selectively actuated by a control system in anticipation of a future flooding condition.
It is still another object of this invention to provide and it does provide a movable barrier system that includes a selectively operated actuating system while having at least one passive back up system.
It is still yet another object of this invention to provide and it does provide a movable barrier system that includes a selectively operated water supply system for elevation of its movable barrier portion and a back up passive intake system. The back up passive intake system includes a passive inlet water passage that is automatically closed when the movable barrier portion is at or near full elevation.
It is also another object of this invention to provide and it does provide a movable barrier system that is adaptable to be installed along a bend in a waterway.
It is still another and further object of this invention to provide and it does provide a movable barrier system that includes an elongated barrier member that includes individual barrier member modules that have an elongated vertical seal member installed between adjacent end surfaces thereof and the elongated vertical seal member allows relative movement between adjacent barrier member modules.
It is another object of the invention to mount the movable barrier system inside a river along the riverbank.
It is still another object of the invention to draw river water into the system before the flooding event underneath the set of movable barriers as the water level rises.
It is another object of the invention to provide and it does provide a manifold assembly of selectively sized and graduated pipes for providing uniform flow and pressure in conduits that distribute the intake water into the system to produce a condition whereby all of the barrier members raise and lower effectively simultaneously.
It is another object of this invention to provide and it does provide means for each individual movable barrier to react both independently and collectively as a unified flood protection system.
It is another object of the invention to provide and it does provide a series of water sealing elements, which are activated by the hydrostatic forces of the floodwaters.
It is still another object of this invention to provide and it does provide integral silt and contaminant restricting systems along all of the vertical and horizontal joints and clearances for both single and group barrier members.
It is another object of the invention to provide and it does provide means to independently select and actuate a finite length of the silt cleaning system.
It is also another object of the invention to provide and it does provide means for a guiding device inside a guide track for each barrier member during the floatation of the member.
It is another object of the invention to provide and it does provide a fitting to minimize the entry of debris into the system from the river inlet aperture structure.
It is another object of the invention to provide and it does provide a foundation that is designed to withstand the overtopping of the barrier system in almost any fully saturated soil conditions, either with or without leg piles.
It is also another object of this invention to provide and it does provide a series of impact resisting elements for adjacent barrier modules to redistribute and reduce the overall effect of debris impact loading on the system.
It is another object of the invention to provide and it does provide means to configure contiguous adjacent housing members along their bottom elevation to maintain level alignment with the uppermost surface to accommodate the changes in the depth and width of the river basin.
It is still another object of the invention to provide and it does provide means for inlet ports originating from a pressurized civil water supply.
It is yet still another object of the invention to provide and it does provide cast-in means in the concrete foundation for selective apertures, various seats for bumpers, flap gates, stops, bolting elements, guide tracks and stand-offs.
It is another object of this invention to utilize a manufacturing method to produce a uniform movable barrier in a one step process.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide and it does provide means to redirect any water leakage in the system back into the river during the flood event.
It is another object of the invention to provide and it does provide means to selectively seal off sections of the interior water passageways within the system for hydraulic or cleaning and maintenance purposes.
It is still another object of the invention to provide and it does provide impact resistant means along the length of each barrier member through a series of full length horizontal bumpers placed in both the concrete foundation and on the barrier wall itself.
One embodiment of the present invention may be briefly described as: a movable barrier floodwall system including: a) a housing assembly having a chamber formed by a base member, a first side panel member, a second side panel member, a left end member, and a right end member; b) a barrier member being vertically movable interior of said chamber, said barrier member having a selected density for allowing floatation thereof as and when a liquid is present interior of said chamber; c) at least one filling pump assembly having an inlet port and an outlet port, said inlet port being in fluidic communication with a supply of the liquid, said liquid having a selected liquid density greater than the selected density of the barrier member, said outlet port being in fluidic communication with said chamber by way of a distribution manifold assembly; and wherein each filling pump is selectively actuated by a control device or system for filling said chamber with said liquid for causing said barrier member to float within said chamber for extending a selected portion of said barrier member above an upper surface of said housing.
The present invention may also include features and/or objects such as a selectively actuated silt cleaning system for cleaning a lower portion of its"" chamber; combined seals and bumpers; a passive back up chamber filling system that includes a combination intake and chamber venting flap valve; the mounting of the pumping system interior of sumps or vaults; a protective cap and vandal deterrent assembly that is carried by the barrier member; a protective cap assembly and vandal deterrent assembly that is pivotally carried by the barrier member to automatically rotate from a substantially horizontal attitude when the barrier member is retracted to a substantially vertical attitude as the barrier is raised for acting as a barrier extension; a pump control system that may be manually, automatically or remotely actuated for testing, and/or cleaning; a barrier member that is light weight and made from a plurality of individual flotation elements or rods that are combined with non metallic and oriented shear webs or layers and non-metallic and oriented exterior skins for structural strength; and a passive backup floatation means. These features and others that will be discussed below may be used individually or selectively combined to suit a particular application.
In addition to the above summary, the following disclosure is intended to be detailed to insure adequacy and aid in the understanding of the invention. However, this disclosure, showing particular embodiments of the invention, is not intended to describe each new inventive concept that may arise. These specific embodiments have been chosen to show at least one preferred or best mode of the present invention. These specific embodiments, as shown in the accompanying drawings, may also include diagrammatic symbols for the purpose of illustration and understanding.